Livestock producers frequently utilize automatic feeding systems to assure that the animals, especially small animals, are always supplied with adequate feed for healthy and rapid growth. In the case of baby pigs, the feed is frequently supplied in a liquid form, usually milk or a milk replacer.
The liquid feeding systems that are presently in use provide the liquid to individual drinker units from a supply tank, the drinker units permitting the animals to drink on a need basis by actuating a valve that allows the milk to flow into the unit. In presently known systems, each drinker unit is connected by a vertical line to an overhead trunk or supply line, the milk being supplied to each drinker unit by gravity. An example of such a system is shown in Hammer U.S. Pat. No. 4,757,784. Although systems of this type assure a constant supply of the liquid feed to the animals, the individual drinker units are gravity fed and can become plugged Also, although the milk is circulated through the overhead supply line, the milk in the individual gravity lines to the drinkers can become stale. Moreover, such systems are difficult to clean.
A system for supplying water to animal actuated drinker units is also shown in Schuler U.S. Pat. No. 3,285,226 in which the drinker units are gravity fed from an overhead line. Although the system shown in this patent is suitable for supplying water, the system is not suitable for supplying milk or other liquid feeds which can become stale in the gravity lines. Moreover, this system would be difficult to clean properly.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved system for supplying liquid feed to individual drinker units which will allow the liquid feed to be circulated under pressure through all of the lines to prevent the liquid feed from remaining in any portion of the lines and thus becoming stale or clogging the lines.
Because systems of this type must be regularly cleaned, and if difficult to clean may be neglected by the livestock producer, there is also a need for a system which can be easily cleaned in place.
There is also a need for an easily cleanable system that will provide for a supply of fresh liquid feed at all times, but which will be inexpensive to install and easy to operate.